The present invention relates to the computation of advanced cardiac parameters from medical data and images by using patient-specific multi-physics fluid-solid models of the heart.
The heart is the pump of life. The periodic contraction and relaxation cycle of the heart ensures blood circulation throughout the body. Heart disease, particularly heart rhythm abnormality, can lead to impaired cardiac function and eventually death. Current treatments require careful planning and guidance for optimal outcomes. Computational models of cardiac electrophysiology are being proposed for therapy planning but current approaches are either too simplified or too computationally intensive for patient-specific simulations in day-to-day clinical practice.
Heart rhythm abnormality diagnosis and therapy planning are made difficult by the large variability in heart diseases. Every patient is unique. The variability observed among patients with the same disease is such that population-wise guidelines can be sub-optimal in terms of diagnosis, therapy outcome and complications for a specific patient. For example, patients with acute myocardium infarction can present with variable scar morphology and extent, which can influence the outcome of various cardiac therapies. Accordingly, a framework to assess the current state of the heart and the optimal therapy for a specific patient is desirable. Such a framework should be integrative and comprehensive, considering all major aspects of heart function, and focus on the end-result of any cardiac therapy, which is the propagation of electrical waves across the heart. Computational models of cardiac electrophysiology have been proposed, but are typically either too simplified or too computationally intensive for patient-specific simulations in every day clinical practice.